Life-saving device.



J. SGHWAB. LIFE SAVING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 25, 1912.

Patented Nov. 5, 1912.

fiL/ENTUR.

[d/TNEJJES I a; v v JOHN SCHWAB, OF WINNIPEG, MANITOBA, CANADA.

LIFE-SAVING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 5, 1912 Application filed Kay 25, 1912. Serial No. 699,685.

ful Improvements-- in Life-Saving Devices,.

of which the following is the speclfication.

My invention relates to improvements in life saving devices and more particularly to life suits, and the object of the invention is to devise a life suit which can be put on at will and suitably inflated whereby the person having the suit on will float in a substantially vertical position when in the water; a further object is to provide means for inflating the central portion by blowing -int -.the same whereby the inflated portion is fornied in substantially boat shape.

The invention consists of a suit of waterproof material having the sleeves with closed glove shaped ends and. the legs closed at the bottom, a central portion designedtobe inflated, a plurality of independent inner tubes within the central portion and tubes connected with the inner tubes for inflating" the central portion; all as hereinafter more particularly described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 represents a side view of a de vice constructed according to my invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof. Fig. 3 1s a cross section of the central portion showing the two tubes and Fig. is a view showing the device folded up.

1 is the suit having a suitable ing' at the top by means of which the sult 1s closed after the person has-put the same on.

2 is the central inflated portion formed in boat shape having the pointed bow and stern 5.

4 and 5 are independent inner tubes there: in, and 6 and 7 are inflating tubes connected to the respective inner tubes. The inner tubes have suitable inlet valves therein which allow air to be pumped or "blown into the inner tubes through the tubes 6 and 7 but will not allow the air to pass out.

8 are webs extending tromthe bow and stern of the boat shaped central portion A down between the suit legs. The ends of the tubes 6 and 7 are hooks 9. i

From the above description it will be seen that a. suit constructed according to my invention will be of great use in case of shipwreck as it may readily be put on and when the central portion is inflated will float the person in a vertical position. F urther the person will not be as subject tov cold as in the case where an ordinary-life belt is used and the clothes of the person are in water and consequently heor she dies from exposure and not from drowning. Also the central portion can be sufliciently inflated by simply blowing air therein by the mouth through the inflating'tubes 6 and 7 or where there is time it may be inflated by a suitable pump or by other means, Also the central portion being filled with air will serve as an insulation from the cold to th vital parts of the body.

.With an. ordinary person who loses his consciousness may be readily drowned although his whole body caught up on suitable does not sink below the surface of the water.

In this invention the person, even if he. lost consciousness, would be maintained with his head above water and protected both from the. cold of the water and the atmosphere. The division .of the inflated porlife belt or. jacket a tion into sections guards against the chance of an accident happening to one of the air chambers. In such an eventthe other air chamber would be sufficient to maintain the person. afloat. When not inflated the suit occupies very little space and causes only slight inconvenience so it may be donned' when there is even the slightest chance of ter contained in the accompanying specifi-,

cation and drawings, shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

What I claim as my invention is:

In a life suit, a central portion of substantially boat shape formed integrally with from the spirit. or scope thereof, it is intended that all "nat- 'the suit and having pointedbow 91nd stern In Witness whereof I have hereunto set Webs extending from the bow and stern my hand in the presence of two witnesses. Y

down between the suit legs, independent inner tubes thereon, inflating tubes connected JOHN SCHWAB' 5 to the respective inner tubes, and means 'witnesse'sz' for securing the free ends of said inflating RUSSEL S. SMART,

tubes to the suit. PEARLE M. GARROW. 

